How To Check If A Therapist Is Licensed - Verifying A License Explained

You
may
be
wondering
if
your
therapist
has
the
right
license.
You're
right
to
be
concerned
about
this.
It's
essential
to
make
sure
that
you're
receiving
the
proper
care,
and
part
of
that
is
seeing
a
therapist
who
has
the
credentials
to
help
people
with
mental
health
concerns.

Source:
pixabay.com

Why
Does
It
Matter
If
Your
Therapist
Has
A
License?

It
matters
that
your
therapist
has
a
license
because
they
need
to
have
the
varified
skillset
to
help
people
with
various
mental
health
issues.
When
your
therapist
has
a
license,
it
means
that
they've
satisfied
different
state
and
clinical
requirements
and
have
the
qualifications
to
treat
you.
You
want
to
work
with
a
mental
health
provider
who
has
fulfilled
supervised
clinical
hours.
That
way
you
know
that
they've
got
the
proper
training
from
an
experienced
mental
health
professional.
Your
mental
health
matters,
and
ensuring
that
your
therapist
has
a
license
is
one
of
the
first
steps
you're
going
to
take
in
your
treatment
plan.

It's
Smart
To
Check
Your
Therapist's
Credentials

According
to
a
survey
conducted
by
The
American
Psychological
Association,
more
and
more
people
are
seeking
therapy
each
year.
Many
people
have
taken
the
step
you're
about
to
take,
checking
to
see
if
their
counselor
or
therapist
has
a
license.
It's
a
smart
idea
to
ensure
that
the
person
who
is
treating
your
mental
health
has
the
credentials
to
do
so.
Think
about
it,
would
you
see
any
medical
doctor
you
found
online?
Probably
not.
You
would
search
their
reviews
on
various
websites
such
as
HealthGrades.
That
same
reasoning
that
you
apply
to
your
physical
health
you
can
use
to
your
mental
health.
It's
essential
to
take
care
of
your
body
and
your
mind
so
you
can
live
a
healthy
and
productive
life.

When
you
check
to
see
if
your
therapist
is
licensed,
you're
taking
your
mental
health
into
your
hands
and
requiring
standards
for
your
treatment.
One
way
to
stop
the
guesswork
as
to
whether
or
not
your
therapist
has
a
license
is
to
work
with
an
online
therapist,
like
the
ones
at
BetterHelp,
who
have
already
been
pre-screened
and
have
adequate
mental
health
licenses.

Source:
pixabay.com

BetterHelp
Has
A
Variety
Of
Licensed
Therapists

With
online
therapy
at
BetterHelp,
you
can
rest
assured
that
your
online
counselor
has
the
appropriate
license
to
practice
therapy.
BetterHelp
wants
to
give
you
the
best
possible
care,
and
that
means
hiring
counselors
and
therapists
who
have
up-to-date
state
certifications
and
licenses
to
practice
mental
health
treatment.
The
counselors
at
BetterHelp
are
skilled
at
what
they
do
and
have
the
paperwork
to
back
it
up.
Read
below
for
some
reviews
of
BetterHelp
counselors.

Counselor
Reviews

"Sarah
is
a
kind
person
that
listens
intently,
focuses
on
issues,
and
then
helps
find
successful
strategies
to
deal
with
those
issues.
Never
once
did
I
feel
that
she
was
judging
me
or
talking
down
to
me.
She
was
easy
for
me
to
open
up
too,
she
was
professional,
and
she
took
me
seriously.
Together
we
discussed
issues
of
loss
and
grief
from
the
passing
of
my
father,
which
had
become
more
than
I
could
handle
alone.
She
not
only
validated
my
feelings
of
loss,
but
she
also
helped
me
find
ways
to
mitigate
those
feelings,
break
them
down
into
their
roots
and
causes
then
address
those.
Coping
with
grief
and
loss
is
hard
work,
but
Sarah
helped
me
find
the
tools
I
needed
within
myself
to
do
that
hard
work
and
ultimately
find
success.
I
am
a
stronger
person
now.
I
am
happy
and
confident.
I
may
not
know
what
is
around
the
next
corner,
but
I
know
that
whatever
it
is,
I
can
handle
it."

"Dr.
Torres
is
absolutely
a
delightful
person
and
has
helped
me
through
anxieties
at
a
difficult
work
situation.
We
had
weekly
video
sessions.
She
was
always
friendly
and
supportive.
She
sometimes
draw
on
her
own
experience
which
I
found
valuable
to
see
my
situation
in
different
lenses.
I
felt
safe
opening
up
to
her.
Towards
the
end
of
two
months
I
had
a
better
perspective
in
life.
If
I
need
help
in
the
future
I
would
love
to
come
back
to
Dr.
Torres!"

How
Do
You
Check
If
A
Therapist
is
Licensed?

When
you're
seeing
a
therapist
or
counselor,
whether
that's
online
or
in
your
local
area,
you
want
to
make
sure
that
they
have
a
valid
license
to
practice
mental
health
services.
But,
how
do
you
check
to
make
sure
that
they're
appropriately
licensed
to
perform
this
job?
One
manner
to
verify
if
a
therapist
has
a
legitimate
mental
health
license
is
to
check
a
third
party
source
that
you
trust.
There
are
multiple
sources
where
you
can
find
this
information.
One
of
them
is
called
the
Association
of
State
and
Provincial
Psychology
Boards
or
ASPPB.

If
you
look
on
this
site,
you
can
search
by
state
and
see
if
your
therapist
is
licensed
in
your
location.
To
do
that,
though,
you
need
to
know
what
state
they
practice
in
first.
To
do
this,
you
can
go
to
a
website
such
as
Psychology
Today,
search
their
last
name,
and
find
their
profile.
On
their
profile,
you'll
find
their
licensure
number
and
the
state(s)
that
they're
licensed
to
practice.
It's
a
quick
and
easy
way
to
find
out
whether
they
have
a
license
to
practice
or
not.

Directly
Ask
Your
Therapist
or
Counselor
for
Their
Licensure
Information

Many
therapists
and
counselors
will
display
their
license
information
in
their
office
in
a
framed
capacity
so
that
you
can
see
the
license
number.
If
you're
working
with
an
online
therapist,
you
won't
be
able
to
see
their
licensing
information
framed
in
a
physical
office,
but
you
can
ask
them
for
it
via
messenger
or
email.
It
doesn't
have
to
be
an
awkward
conversation.
You
might
feel
uncomfortable
asking
for
their
license
information,
but
you
can
let
them
know
that
you
want
to
pursue
therapy
with
them
but
that
you
want
to
make
sure
that
anyone
you're
about
to
see
is
a
licensed
professional.
If
they
hold
those
credentials,
there's
no
reason
for
them
to
get
defensive
or
withhold
that
information.
There
are
multiple
websites
where
you
can
verify
different
forms
of
licenses,
depending
on
what
they
are.

Source:
pexels.com

How
to
Become
a
Licensed
Therapist

After
you
complete
a
graduate
level
education,
to
become
a
therapist,
you've
got
to
be
licensed.
Your
license
means
that
you
meet
a
minimum
amount
of
requirements
necessary
to
provide
therapeutic
services.
Remember
that
there
are
different
therapeutic
licenses
for
different
things.
You
might
have
an
MSW,
Ph.D.,
LPC,
or
LMFT.
Each
license
has
different
requirements,
and
those
will
depend
on
what
you're
looking
to
do
in
your
career.

Therapist
Educational
Requirements

To
practice
therapy,
you
need
to
meet
the
education
requirements
for
your
particular
state.
There
may
be
some
educational
classes
that
you
have
to
take
or
some
certifications
you
have
to
achieve,
but
each
license
demands
its
specific
requirements.
As
a
therapist,
you
need
to
make
sure
that
you
complete
those
requirements.
It
takes
a
lot
of
time
and
long-term
dedication
to
become
a
mental
health
professional.

Therapist
Clinical
Hours

Therapists
need
to
have
completed
a
certain
number
of
hours
that
are
supervised.
A
supervisor
needs
to
see
a
therapist
or
counselor
working
in
a
therapeutic
setting.
It
could
be
an
internship
that
you
complete
alongside
your
Master's
degree,
or
it
could
be
part
of
your
licensing
pursuance.
Depending
on
the
state,
you'll
know
how
many
hours
are
required.
For
example,
in
Oregon,
you
need
to
complete
2,000
supervised
hours,
but
to
become
licensed
in
a
different
state,
that
number
may
differ.
There
are
fees
associated
with
getting
your
license.

Source:
flickr.com

Different
Acronyms
for
Different
Mental
Health
Providers

There
are
different
acronyms
for
different
kinds
of
mental
health
professionals.

Social
Workers

LCSW's
or
Licensed
Clinical
Social
Workers
help
families
affected
by
domestic
violence,
substance
abuse,
mental
health
issues,
or
day-to-day
life
issues.
Many
social
workers
are
community-based
and
help
with
community
issues
for
individuals.

Counselors
Or
Therapists

You
might
see
the
term
LPC
or
LCPC,
and
that
refers
to
a
licensed
professional
counselor
who
spends
time
working
as
a
counselor
with
people
who
might
experience
a
variety
of
different
mental
health,
life,
or
family
issues.

Marriage
and
Family
Therapists

Marriage
and
Family
Therapists
(MFTs)
are
mental
health
professionals
trained
in
psychotherapy
and
family
systems,
and
licensed
to
diagnose
and
treat
mental
and
emotional
disorders
within
the
context
of
marriage,
couples
and
family
systems.

Psychologists

Psychologists
could
be
an
LCP,
PsyD,
or
a
Ph.D.
They
work
in
clinical
research
or
medical
facilities.

Psychiatrists

Psychiatrists
are
different
from
psychologists
because
they're
people
who
have
Doctorate's
and
are
also
MD's
so
that
they
can
prescribe
medication.
Depending
on
your
needs,
you'll
make
an
appointment
with
one
of
those
people,
and
you
can
verify
their
information
through
the
means
that
we
discussed
such
as
searching
on
Psychology
Today
or
by
finding
websites
that
relate
directly
to
licensing
issues.

Source:
blog.hospitalclinic.org

Do
You
Want
to
Become
A
Therapist
At
BetterHelp?

If
you
are
already
a
therapist
and
you
want
to
join
the
over
4000
online
therapists
here
at
BetterHelp,
let
us
know.
If
you
want
to
help
people
with
their
mental
health
in
a
new
and
exciting
way,
online
therapy
is
an
excellent
platform
to
support
clients
in
getting
the
care
that
they
need.
You
can
choose
to
work
full-time
or
part-time
hours,
whatever
works
best
for
you.
We
welcome
caring
mental
health
professionals
who
have
a
passion
for
helping
others.
You
can
apply
here.

Final
Words:
Check
the
License
and
Get
the
Right
Care

After
reading
this
article,
you
know
the
importance
of
checking
your
therapist's
license.
There
are
many
reasons
to
do
it,
but
the
number
one
reason
is
to
ensure
you're
getting
the
best
care
possible.
And
remember,
in
addition
to
traditional
face-to-face
counseling,
online
therapy
is
an
excellent
option;
on
sites
like
BetterHelp,
we've
already
verified
the
licensing
of
these
therapists.
We've
taken
the
means
to
do
so
to
ensure
that
you're
provided
with
exceptional
care.
Whatever
kind
of
mental
health
treatment
you
decide
on,
you
deserve
to
have
an
excellent
therapist
helping
you.

The information on this page is not intended to be a substitution for diagnosis, treatment, or informed professional advice. You should not take any action or avoid taking any action without consulting with a qualified mental health professional. For more information, please read our terms of use.

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